Toothbrush



J. W. KUHN Feb. 17, 1942.

'I'OO'IIHBRUSH Filed Aug. 9, 1959 2 SheetsI-Sheet 1 Feb. 17, 1942. w, NI 2,273,207

TOOT'HBRUSH Filed Aug. 9, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f0hn W Zfwhw PatentedFeb. 17, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOO'IHBRUSH John W. Kuhn,Akron, Ohio Application August 9, 1939, Serial No. 289,299

7 Claimi n n i n ela e to t ot b u h s n h s for its primary object toimprove brushes of this type to the end that not only the time requiredin adequately caring for the teeth is substantially reduced but alsothat less skill is required'and yet the teeth vgnll be more thoroughlycleaned.

The conventional toothbrush, in plan view, has

the head of the brush directly in line with the handle, thus renderingit impossible to align the brush with the teeth when brushing the innersurfaces thereof and requiring that the brush be held at an awkwardangle. Moreover even if the brush head were offset laterally in theconventional brush there would be a tendency for the brush to roll dueto the weak grip provided by the narrow handle, and of course twoseparate brushes would be necessary.

It is an object of the present invention to pro vide a toothbrush suchthat the teeth may be thoroughly cleaned on all exposed surfaces withouttilting the handle at an angle to the teeth, thereby maintaining therows of bristles in align.- ment with the teeth at all times.

Another object of theinvention resides in the o s on of a o th rushhavin a s t a its arthe nd o con rm o the c nt o h u h a d h um line adacen wi d m te and large molars to permit'brushing such teeth withoutundue irritation of the gums.

A further object of the invention consists in he provision i a dou leioth sh. that a. brush with two heads and two sets of bristles, wherebythe grinding surfaces of the teeth on both sides of the lower jaw Or theupper jaw may be simultaneously cleaned, and the outer surfaces of theteeth on either side of the upper and lower jaw as well as the innersurfaces may b m e usly c e ned; a her by e u er surfaces of the upperand lower front teeth as l as t e i e s ac s f a e ma b s mul+ taneouslycleaned, and all cleaning operations may be e rmed while the han l o hbrush is i ntia horizont po ion whe e operator is standing erect.

Another object of the invention resides in pro-. viding a toothbrushhaving a double head in which the heads may be moved toward and fromeach other to accommodate themselves to the positions of the teeth, andto permit simultaneous cleaning of certain of the various rows ofsurfaces of the teeth.

A further object of the invention consists in providing a toothbrush inwhich a rotary action of the brush heads is produced more or lessmechanically during the cleaning operations due to muscular tension whengripping the handle lightly and the conventional reciprocating action ofthe brush; also a brush in which this rotary action may be supplementedby a voluntary pressure on the handle on the outward stroke or thereciprocating action and reduction of pressure on the inward stroke;thus simultaneously adjusting the brush heads to the diverging teethlines on the outward stroke and the converging teeth lines onthe inwardstroke.

A still further object of the invention consists in the provision of anovel massage device which may be readily attached to or removed fromthe toothbrush and which is highly elIective in stimulating circulationof blood in the gums.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a toothbrushwhich may be made as an integral unit or with detachable heads as may bedesired.

Other objects and advantages of the invention willbe in part apparentand in part pointed out in the following detailed description of thedrawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of the novel toothbrush.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the brush shown in use incleaning the grinding surfaces of the upper teeth.

Figure 3 is a view of a slightly modified brush shown in action insimultaneously cleaning the outer surfaces of the upper and lower teethon the right side of the mouth.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a brush such as shown in Figure 3 and havingdetachably applied thereto (partly broken away) a novel massagingdevice.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the construction shown in Figure4.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line l.1 of Figure 1, and

Figure 8 is a plan View of a construction, partly broken away, in whichthe brush heads are integrally connected but are detachable from h h ndlas in F ur Referring to the drawings in greater detail and particularlyto Figures 1, 2 and 7, the numeral I indicates the handle of the brushgen erally, and the numerals 2 and 3 indicate the two brush heads, whichin this particular form are shown as detachably connected to the handle.

The handle I is preferably made of a conventional moldable compositionsuch as Celluloid, Bakelite or the like, it being essential however thatthe material be resilient. It will be seen from the drawings that thehandle is more or less oval or loop-shaped in design, the longitudinalcurvature of the two legs of the handle being such as will facilitatethe proper relative movement of the brush heads 2 and 3 as will appearhereinafter.

Adjacent the forward end of the handle I a bridge member 4 is formed asan integral part of the handle to serve as a fulcrum for the brush headsforming in effect two interlocking loops or ovals. The bridge 4 might becurved in the opposite direction if desired, or such a bridge could beemployed in addition to the one shown. This part of the handle isthickened as indicated to reinforce the same and also to receive theU-shaped reinforcing member 5 when desired. The element 5 is preferablya strip of metal flattened intermediate its ends and provided with rightand left hand screw threads on its ends. This member 5 is placed in themold prior to casting the handle and is therefore entirely embedded inthe material of the handle except for the screw threaded ends 6-5 whichare left exposed for the purpose of securing the detachable brush heads2 and 3.

The two branches of the handle I are preferably made slightly thinneradjacent the middle as indicated at 8 so as to facilitate the flexingaction to be referred to and which is indicated indotted lines inFigure 1. Each branch is also provided with a forwardly and slightlytapering rib 8. This construction serves to both supplement and conservethe natural resilietncy of the material of the handle.

The brush heads 2 and 3 are also formed of molded material, preferablyof the same material and color as the handle I, and in molding theseelements right and left hand threaded nuts 9 are placed in the mold andare intended to cooperate with the right and left hand threads on themember 5.

The brush heads 2 and 3, it will be noted, are offset laterally fromtheir shank portions 2' and 3' respectively in which the nuts 9 arelocated,

thereby permitting the brushes to be placed in alignment with the teethat all times and avoiding the necessity of placing the handle at awkwardangles particularly when brushing the inner surfaces of the teeth.

As is generally well known the gum line tapers toward the grindingsurface of the teeth at the back of the mouth and this is especiallytrueat the point where the wisdom teeth are located.

Therefore to avoid injury to the gums the brush tion to the handle, inwhich the respective legs of the handle merge into the inner sides ofthe brush backings; the brush heads comprising the backings, thebristles, and a portion of the legs of the handle. The brush heads arepositioned at an angle to receive the respective legs of the handle, andat approximately 7 angles to facilitate the out-away portions I!) inrelation with the teeth and gums as shown in Figure 3. It will also benoted in Figure 3 that when the teeth line is positioned at acomparative 7 angle the gum line is approximately 10 angle, thedifference being compensated in part by the cut-away portions Hi. Thispermits the conventional three rows of bristles and narrowing the brushheads to two rows and then one at a point where the least surface of theteeth is exposed beyond the gum line.

By reference to Figure 7 which is a section on line 'l-'! of Figure 1 itwill be noted that the transverse series of bristles in each of theheads 2 and 3 are angularly arranged. For instance, the full lines atthe left of Figure 7 indicate the bristles as extending vertically ofthe backing 2 while the dotted lines indicate the next series ofbristles as inclined slightly to the left. These series alternatethroughout the length of the brush, and the same construction isembodied in brush 3 except that the series of bristles between thevertical series incline to the right rather than to the left. Thisconstruction of brush is effective in that a number of bristles willalways be flexed toward the gum line when the brush is presented to theteeth thereby insuring the removal of particles of food which may becaught in the crevices formed between the teeth and the gums.

With the brush as shown in Figures 1 and 2 the heads 2 and 3 may beseparated the amount desired to facilitate simultaneous cleaning of tworows of teeth by merely applying the proper amount of pressure to theopposed sides of the handle I. In other words, the two brushes may bequickly adjusted to the width of the mouth, or they may be adjusted inaccordance with the extent of opening of the mouth. Substantially thesame adjustment of the brushes may be accomplished by pressing the thumbof the operative hand in the horse-shoe shaped forward portion of thehandle so as to force the shank 2'3' apart the desired extent. Moreover,by reason of the angle position of the heads the brush handle may bemaintained parallel to the teeth at all times thereby providing for theproper presentation of the rows of bristles to the teeth even whencleaning the inner surfaces thereof. Also the heads 2 and 3 may bereadily removed when necessary for replacement, and yet due to the rightand left hand thread mountings for the heads there is no liability oftheir working loose while in use.

It should also be noted that in the use of the present toothbrush inwhich the brush heads are caused to move relatively by gripping pressureon the handle, some movement of the brush heads will be caused byunconscious variation in the pressure of the hand of the operator as hemoves the brush back and forth. This minor move ment of the heads willcause a more or less rotary action to be imparted to the brush headswhich is generally conceded to be an excellent method of thoroughlycleaning the teeth. Also this rotary action may be supplemented by adirect rotary action applied to the brush handle.

o m at tooth ush sh n i F ure 3 s ubs antial y iden c l h ha h wn inElsures l and 2 except that the brush heads II and 12 and their shankportions H and I2 are formed integral with the handle l3, and thereforethe reinforcing element l4 when used will not be provided with thethreaded end portions. In other respects the brush and its operationsare identical with the form previously described and its descriptionneed not be repeated.

Referring to Figures 4, 5 and 6, the brush [3 is identical with thatshown in Figure 3, but for the purpose of illustrating the gum massageat.- tachment the brush of Figures 1 andZ could just as well have beenemployed.

The massage attachment, which is preferably formed of soft rubber, isindicated generally by the numeral 20, and is provided with anintegrally formed loop portion 2| adapted to be engaged by the thumb ifdesired to assist in retaining it in position. The loop 2| is preferablyshaped to correspond to the shape of the forward end of the brushhandle.

A rib 22 extends downwardly from the back of the massage device and isadapted to extend between the two brush heads. The lower edge of the rib22 is provided with laterally extending flanges 23 which overlap thebacks of the brush heads, and the inner end of the rib is provided witha wedge shaped extension 24 which is situated just beyond the inner endsof the brush heads. A flange 25 depends from the top of the massagingdevice to a point adjacent the back of the brush heads therebypractically enclosing the bristles.

To place the gum massaging attachment in position on the brush it isnecessary that the handle be squeezed slightly so as to cause the brushheads to spread apart a suflicient distance to permit the entry of rib22 and wedge 24 into position. Thereafter, pressure on the handle isreleased and the attachment is securely held in position.

The operative face of the massage device has been designed toeflectively create a circulation of blood in the gums to which it isapplied. To this end the rubber surface is formed with depressions 26adjacent its outer edges which act as vacuum cups in drawing bloodtoward the surface of the gums. Due however to the location of thesevacuum cups near the outer edges of the attachment they will be spaced asubstantial distance from the gum lines when in use and therefore willhave no tendency whatever to draw the gums away from the teeth.

Extending from both sides of each of the vacuum cups 26 are series ofribs 21. These ribs are arranged at an angle of about 60 to a groove 28which extends along the median line of the attachment. By thisinclination of the ribs 21 it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that each stroke of the attachment will cause a flow of the bloodfirst in one direction and then in the other thereby greatly stimulatingthe natural flow.

In Figure 8 a slightly modified form of brush is shown. In this form ofthe invention the handle 30 is substantially the same as the formsheretofore described, being provided with a bridge member 3| and with animbedded reinforcing member 32. It differs from the pre viouslydescribed forms however in that the forward end of the handle asindicated at 33 is solid instead of being divided into two branches.Moreover, the double brush instead of being formed in two separate brushheads is formed in'an integral piece 34 with two sets of bristles 35properly positioned at an anglewith the han die as in the other figuresof the drawings.

I In this form of the invention the reinforcing member 32 is providedwith a reinforcing plate .36 situated at the end of the handle and athreaded extension 31 for cooperation with a nut 38 imbedded in the head34. This construction of course permits the removal of the brush headwhen worn out and the substitution of a new one just as in theembodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The operation of the toothbrushes and the massage attachment have beenfully described in connection with the detailed description of thestructures and need not be here repeated.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that I have devised anovel construction of toothbrush and massage device; that the brush isso designed as to permit the cleaning of all exposed surfaces of theteeth while maintaining the brush handle substantially parallel with theteeth, thus avoiding the necessity of difficult operation of the brush,presenting the bristles in proper relative position to the teeth andinsuring a proper cleaning of the teeth; that by reason of the doublebrush as herein described the time required in effectively brushing theteeth may be reduced about one-half or more and that the cleaningoperation is improved by the slight rotary action imparted to the brushheads by the natural variation in pressure applied to the handle duringthe cleaning operation; that by reason of the position of the bristleswith respect to the handle the inner surfaces of the teeth may becleaned without skillful manipulation of the handle; that whendetachable heads are employed the right and left hand threadedconnection thereof with the handle will avoid any tendency of the headsbecoming loose by reason of pressure on the offset portions; that thebrushes are so designed as to avoid any undue irritation of the gums;that a novel construction of effective massaging device has beenprovided and that it may be readily applied to and removed from thebrush without the use of tools or ex- 7 traneous parts.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described what I nowbelieve to be the preferred construction of toothbrush and massagingattachment, but inasmuch as various minor changes may be made in thedetails of construction without departing from the spirit of theinvention it is intended that all such changes be included within thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A toothbrush comprising an elongated loopshaped handle formed ofresilient and moldable material, said loop being divided at one end toprovide two flexible branches, a bridge member extending transversely ofthe handle to form a fulcrum for the branches, an extension on the freeend of each branch, said extensions being arranged in parallel andnormally in contact throughout their length, and a brush head connectedwith each extension, the bristles of the brush heads being substantiallynormal to the plane of the handle.

2. A toothbrush comprising an elongated loopshaped handle formed ofresilient and moldable material, said loop being divided at one end toprovide two flexible branches, a bridge member extending transversely ofthe handle to form a fulcrum for the branches, an extension on the freeend of each branch, said extensions being arranged in parallel andnormally in contact throughout their length, and a brush head connectedwith each extension, said brush heads forming acute angles with thecenter line of the handle, the bristles of the brush heads beingsubstantially normal to the plane of the handle.

3. A toothbrush comprising an elongated loopshaped handle formed ofresilient and moldable material, said loop being divided at one end toprovide two flexible branches, a bridge member extending transversely ofthe handle to form a fulcrum for the branches, an extension on the freeend of each branch, said extensions being arranged in parallel andnormally in contact throughout their length, a brush head connected witheach extension, a side of each brush head integrally engaging therespective side of the handle, the bristles of the brush heads beingsubstantially normal to the plane of the handle.

4. A toothbrush comprising an elongated loopshaped handle formed ofresilient and moldable material, said loop being divided at one end toprovide two flexible branches, a bridge member extending transversely ofthe handle to form a fulcrum for the branches, an extension on the freeend of each branch, said extensions being arranged in parallel andnormally in contact throughout their length, a brush head connected witheach extension, and said extensions being flattened outwardly to formthe brush heads.

5. A toothbrush comprising an elongated loopshaped handle formed ofresilient and moldable material, said loop being divided at one end toprovide two branches, an extension on the free end of each branch, saidextensions being arranged in parallel and normally in contact throughouttheir length, a brush head connected with each extension, and a bridgemember extending transversely of the handle adjacent the divided endthereof to provide a fulcrum.

6. A toothbrush comprising an elongated loopshaped handle formed ofresilient and moldable material, said loop being divided at one end toprovide two branches, an extension on the free end of each branch, saidextensions being arranged in parallel and normally in contact throughouttheir length, a brush head connected with each extension, an arcuatebridge member extending transversely of the handle with its end portionsmerging into the branches of the loop, and a reinforcing member locatedin the bridge member and extending through the free ends of the handle.

7. A toothbrush comprising a loop-shaped handle formed of resilientmaterial, one end of the loop being formed to provide legs, a bridgemember extending transversely of the handle, and dividing the handleinto two loops, a U-shaped reinforcing element having its base embeddedin the bridge member and its branches embedded in portions of the legsof the handle with portions extending outwardly beyond the same, saidoutward extensions being formed with screw threads, a pair of brushheads, and a nut fixed to each of the brush heads and adapted to engagethe threaded extensions.

JOHN W. KUHN.

